Zengo Yoshida

Zengo Yoshida (14 February 1885-14 November 1966) was an Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy who led the Combined Fleet from December 1937 to August 1939, succeeding Osami Nagano and preceding Isoroku Yamamoto.

Biography
Zengo Yoshida was born on 14 February 1885 in Saga Prefecture, Japan to an impoverished family of farmers, and he was adopted into the family of a rice merchant. In 1904, he graduated from the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy, but his commission as ensign was too late for him to fight in the Russo-Japanese War. In 1909, he was promoted to Lieutenant, and he specialized in torpedo warfare. On 30 November 1929, he was promoted to Rear Admiral, and from 1937 to 1939 he served as Admiral of the Combined Fleet. He opposed an alliance with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, and he was also against the idea of going to war with the United States. From November 1942 to September 1943, he was in command of the China Area Fleet, and he served on the Supreme War Council until 1 June 1945. He died on 14 November 1966, and he was buried in Fuchu, Tokyo.